February 13th, Valentine's Day Eve.
Dumbledore had arranged everything the day before and then disappeared.
Professor McGonagall was left with the reins of everything—a move that made her both anxious and regretful.
After friendly discussions among the professors regarding the day's ownership of Damon White on February 14th, Valentine's Day, they ultimately settled on a method that was acceptable to everyone and wouldn't overly pressure Damon: Quidditch.
There was no other way, as none of the judging criteria, whether Transfiguration, Charms, or Potions, were convincing, ultimately leading to this method.
The witches were allowed to form teams freely, but the seven members of each team had to be from different years—meaning, if you wanted to win, you had to not only have your strengths, but also ensure your underclassmen weren't so bad they'd drag you down. This
proved difficult to achieve.
Not all girls excelled at Quidditch, especially the younger students.
Although the professors had tried to shorten the discussion and announced the news on the morning of February 12th, it still posed a huge challenge for the witches who aspired to participate. They had to register for teams, train, and manage their studies all in one day.
But this couldn't dampen their enthusiasm!
Some witches who had been somewhat discouraged by Damon White regained their confidence!
This was the way it should be!
Damon White didn't belong to just any one person; he belonged to all the witches at Hogwarts! Now, they had to fight tooth and nail to defeat him!
And because the team required participation from girls from every grade, even if they were genuinely enthusiastic, they could feign help, seemingly unable to. "Huh? Your team is short of a sophomore? Well, while I'm not particularly interested in dueling princes, I'll definitely help you!"
"This is a Quidditch match. Even if it's informal, isn't it still great entertainment? Don't you guys like Quidditch? We must win! Because we love Quidditch so much!"
"Huh—that third-year brat keeps spreading bad things about me around school. She wants to win this tournament? I'm not going to let her!"
And so on, and so on.
Although there weren't many female students in Hogwarts, seven from each grade was considered a healthy gender ratio—and when the witches realized this, they nearly came to blows.
The smoke of war thickened behind the scenes, with scenes of betrayal unfolding nonstop—"Didn't you agree to team up with me? Why did you agree to someone else?"
"I was here first! Why?"
"Gah! I was the one who founded this team, and you're kicking me out? You never expected it! I've returned from hell! If
you don't want me, there will surely be other teams that will!"
It was unknown how these girls had managed to cause so much drama in just one day—their resentment and fighting spirit permeated the entire Great Hall. Aside from Damon, everyone else entered and exited the Great Hall with increased caution—if they accidentally bumped into anything or made a noise, they'd easily be glared at.
"I can't stand it! The atmosphere in school is so weird right now! Quidditch is tomorrow? Let's just end this!"
In the Room of Requirement, Ron, rarely practicing spells, was instead working on his homework.
Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he yelled, leaning back in his chair.
"Women's Quidditch, that sounds interesting - even Qiu Zhang is participating, I wish I could participate too."
"Qiu Zhang? Man, no way..." Ron said with a strange expression.
"No, she didn't plan to participate at first, but you know - she was originally a member of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team - in fact, she was very popular."
"Well, whatever - anyway, I think love only makes people feel stupid now."
This year's Valentine's Day, Ron was still unconcerned.
He appeared nonchalant, but his mindset was still somewhat affected—otherwise, he'd be vying with Harry for spell practice.
"Really? I think dating Cho Chang would be such a blessing—she has a really beautiful smile."
Harry slumped over the table, unable to resist his imagination—just imagining it brought a smile to his lips.
Ron glanced at him, but said nothing.
Damon was gone, and Hermione had been dragged off to Quidditch practice. It was just the two of them in the hut now. Logically, there was no one to restrict them, no one to pressure them. In the past, they would have rushed to play Wizard Chess.
But now, the two of them were either studying or practicing spells every day, and Harry even had to juggle Quidditch practice. "It's incredible."
"What?"
"I mean, the way we are now—studying hard every day, practicing spells here after class, and not having to rush to copy other people's homework—man, I feel like I'm so good I'm a stranger to myself."
Harry, amused by Ron's tone, laughed heartily.
"Yes, we've really changed a lot—because of Damon. Everyone at school is changing because of him."
He stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.
The unique women's Quidditch tournament ultimately saw only four teams participate—there were indeed seven teams that registered, and Professor McGonagall had even thought about the format in advance, but in the end, only four teams showed up, mostly students from their respective houses.
As for the other three, well, let's not talk about them.
The weather was still a bit chilly in February, but every girl participating in Quidditch wore a short skirt and shirt—it seemed the cold couldn't dampen their enthusiasm.
"Ladies and gentlemen—of course, today it's mainly the ladies!"
Lee Jordan's voice echoed over the field, as enthusiastic as ever.
"Welcome to this unique women's Quidditch friendly match!
On this chilly February afternoon, we are honored to witness four brave and charming teams fiercely competing for what, I dare say, is the most special prize in history!"
The audience erupted in a commotion, with some boys cheering, not particularly enthusiastically, even a little sourly. The girls, on the other hand, were unusually quiet—the prize for this tournament was watching them from the highest point of the stands.
Damon sat on a stone bench surrounded by flowers, his chin propped up on one hand, watching it all calmly—he tried not to appear too proud.
But it had to be said that watching these beautiful women 'fight' was indeed quite entertaining, especially since they were fighting because of him, and he wasn't responsible for it.
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(End of Chapter)